According to Crawford & Company, employees with an RTW program report an average of how many weeks to return to work for injured employees?

• A. 3.2 weeks
• B. 7.0 weeks
• C. 13 weeks
• D. 5.1 weeks

Answer: (D)

RTW programs focus on getting employees back to work sooner by coordinating medical care, workplace accommodations, and structured case management. The measure most often cited is the average time from injury to return to work. Crawford & Company’s data show that average time to return to work for injured employees in their RTW program is about 5.1 weeks. This reflects a realistic, efficient turnaround achieved through early intervention, appropriate medical clearance, and suitable temporary or modified duties that let the worker resume duties without delaying recovery. Values significantly shorter, like around 3 weeks, would imply unusually rapid recoveries or minimal injury severity, while much longer times, such as 13 weeks, suggest more complex or disabling cases. So 5.1 weeks represents a balanced, practical average for effective RTW programs.